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  1. #21
    Contributing Member ssgross's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by browningautorifleicon View Post
    A couple of slips might have been enough to discourage me
    believe me I was discouraged. at each fail I gave up, and came back an hour later. The "slips" were not drastic. I went very slow and as soon as I saw the receiver start to turn on the rubber pads, I stopped. It really just needed a firm hard hold. Hardwood or aluminum vice pads would have worked....or some pieces of lead sheet I had.

    slugging the bore will have to wait until I get some more lead balls. In the mean time...
    here are some pics of the bore....as I found it. It hasn't been touched by me yet.

    Crown, halfway in, throat where chamber meets the lands, and the chamber wall.
    Attachment 116311Attachment 116312Attachment 116313Attachment 116314

    This one was pretty lovingly maintained. I didn't see any cleaning rod damage at the crown, although a few Knicks and dings on the outside. I inserted a .452 jacketed bullet and saw little to no muzzle erosion.
    I busted the little bit of rust off of the internals, cleaned re oiled and greased and put the assemblies back together. The lock was pretty simple and fun. There was some grit in its feel before, but it's like butter now. I still need to decide what to do with the stock. I'm leaning towards lifting out out the sweat and grime with Murphy's oil, then evening out the color with laquer thinner or acetone. This will, of course, remove the rack numbers too.
    Last edited by ssgross; 04-01-2021 at 10:08 AM.

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  4. #22
    Contributing Member ssgross's Avatar
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    So I slugged the bore today. I used a .462 slug, half an inch long from the muzzle. With plenty of grease, it required a brass rod and plenty of love taps to push it until about 14 inches in. then it was able to be pushed by hand until the last 2 inches of the barrel, when it again required some love.
    On inspection with a micrometer, the slug measured 0.455 across, from land on one side to groove on the other. Carefully placing my micrometer on the "edges" of the imprinted grooves gives 0.460.

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    Contributing Member ssgross's Avatar
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    I just finished reading Spencer and Pat Wolf's book. I'm very happy they wrote it, and Pat is nice enough to hand sign every book she sends out. I'm not set up to cast on my own, but that will change at some point. I plan to shoot smokeless powder primarily, since I mostly shoot indoors during the week. Although, one of Mr. Wolf's "gallery" loads with lead ball and black powder he reports gives no smoke and no oder, so I wonder if the indoor range would even know I was shooting black powder - but I'm a strict rule follower at the range, and their rule says no black powder.

    Any ideas on methods for the slottless 1879 sight screws? Mine came off easy enough using the method I described above without being buggered by pliers, but they aren't perfect. Another thread ended with going to try opening up a pin vise, but never reported back. After I clean up my screws, I was thinking of putting rubber gasket material over the screw and inside a regular 1/4 hex screwdriver, pressing down provide enough friction. The screws seem to be about 0.21. I am also considering using the neck of a 223 case as a shim so that I can get pliers on it to tighten without damaging. Both Wolf's book and trapdoor collector.com mention the need to make one's own tool, but do not provide any suggestions or examples.
    Last edited by ssgross; 04-04-2021 at 05:27 PM.

  8. #24
    Contributing Member ssgross's Avatar
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    Got the stock cleaned up. Rack numbers came off, but I was able to even out the patina on the other side of the butt from where whatever was there originally had been removed. Raw linseed oilicon is drying (curing?) while I deal with the furniture.

    When I cleaned off all the old grunge off the cleaning rod keeper, I noticed some righting on the rear underside. Since this part is near impossible to take out without damaging the stock, and likely never seen the light of day since 1882. I thought you all might like to see what what it said...
    Attachment 116375

    EDIT: Well, I just wasted a half hour trying to locate the patent. The month and day is clearly Aug. 6. The last day of the year isn't struck so well. It looks like a 0 to me. Bonus points for anyone who finds the patent!
    Last edited by ssgross; 04-05-2021 at 04:17 PM.

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    Contributing Member ssgross's Avatar
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    Found it!!!! It was Aug. 16, 1870, Samuel Porter. Patent number US106405
    https://patentimages.storage.googlea...6/US106405.pdf

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  12. #26
    Contributing Member ssgross's Avatar
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    ...and from nps.gov,
    Attachment 116382
    the caption is
    "In this fine group portrait from September 1886, notice how each Armory stocker is dressed in his work outfit and holding his tools & gauges, thereby demonstrating his particular role in producing the rifle stock in a "Division of Labor". The man in the black suit in the foreground is Master Mechanic Samuel W. Porter, with his gauges and stamps on the stool for the final inspection stamping of his initials "S.W.P.". The older man seated next to him is Foreman James Stillman who started working at the Armory in 1835 and died in the mid-1890's"

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    Contributing Member ssgross's Avatar
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    New original extractor came in today. Pricey, but the one on the rifle looks like it was salvaged off the bottom of the ocean. It works fine when heavily greased, feels very gritty if just oiled from all the past corrosion. I went again and got a new one since this was a regular part needing replaced. Will keep the chewed up one as a backup. They won't get any cheaper, nor easier to find.

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  15. #28
    Contributing Member ssgross's Avatar
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    Lyman 45-70 dies came in today. I found them at their pre-covid panic price at Buffalo arms in Idaho - their shipping was a bit outrageous considering what I got would fit in a a small flat rate box. Something must be wrong with their shipping calculator. Was also able to get some 395gr flat base round nose, 20-1 bullets to make it worth it. After reading Spencer & Pat Wolf's book, I was hoping for 405 hollow base, or 500gr flat base, but did the best I could shy of getting in to casting. I even looked into that...can't find the molds right now except for outrageous prices, and I would likely only cast for this rifle that I likely won't shoot for than a couple times a year. I'll save casting for retirement

    My copy of Poyer finally came in and I read it yesterday...now I feel silly for going on about discovering the patent above. Thanks for not trolling me for it. I love this place!

  16. #29
    Legacy Member butlersrangers's Avatar
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    Question SWP

    Samuel W. Porter became the "Master-Armorer" at Springfield Armory and his 'S.W.P. - cartouche' appears on many trapdoor Springfield rifles and early model 1892 Kragicon rifles.

    Mr. Porter died of Diptheria, on June 18, 1894.

    A piece of remembered trivia:
    I recall years ago, someone suddenly having accuracy problems with his, previously very accurate, model 1873 Springfield rifle.
    He found the culprit to be the 'improved ramrod stop'.
    The flat portion had broken and was putting an unusual and variable upward pressure on the Trapdoor's barrel.
    This part does not break often. If it does, the "ramrod" will be retained and move fore & aft, pressing part of the broken stop randomly against the barrel.

    Thanks for finding and linking Mr. Porter's patent. This device was also used on other Springfield made models and 'trial' arms.
    Last edited by butlersrangers; 04-12-2021 at 12:25 PM.

  17. #30
    Contributing Member ssgross's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by butlersrangers View Post
    the 'improved ramrod stop'.
    do you mean the patented ramrod stop, or the subsequent one? Poyer reports that in 1877(? I think.) they began using a a new ramrod stop with some slight modification so that the 1870 patent no longer applied, and so these later ones were not stamped. I'll have to dig for the details in my evening reading. I had read an account of breakage and pressing against the barrel as you mention...somewhere...probably in one of your posts here

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